Autonomous Global Sky Surveillance with Real-Time Robotic Follow-up: Night Sky Awareness through Thinking Telescopes Technology

Abstract

Abstract : We discuss the development of prototypes for a global grid of advanced thinking sky sentinels and robotic follow-up telescopes that observe the full night sky to provide real-time monitoring of the night sky by autonomously recognizing anomalous behavior, selecting targets for detailed investigation, and making real-time, follow-up observations. The layered, fault-tolerant, network uses relatively inexpensive robotic EO sensors to provide persistent autonomous monitoring and real-time anomaly detection to enable rapid recognition and a swift response to transients as they emerge. This T3 global EO grid avoids the limitations imposed by geography and weather to provide persistent monitoring of the night sky.